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• Contest insurance, part two: Protecting your payout

  February 27, 2013

  Part 1 of this series discussed how important it is to have contest insurance if the promotion has an expensive prize. It also warned that there are scammers who will sell you insurance but refuse to pay if someone wins the contest.

  Part 2 of this series will focus on two things that you can do to make sure that your insurance coverage will be there if you need it.

  First, while the overwhelming majority of contest insurance sellers are reputable and honest, you still need to be cautious in selecting your provider. Searching online for indications of the ...

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  Tags: Sponsor Contracts Certificates of Participation Contest Prize Contest Insurance

• Consult this checklist before promoting your next sweepstakes

  August 22, 2012

  Kris Kringle had plenty of pointy-shoed helpers backing him up, but he still insisted on making his list and checking it twice.

  Any businesses that promote sweepstakes should be just as vigilant about double-checking all elements of their promotions before releasing them to the general public.

  To that end, I’ve created a checklist of 12 of the most important things to look for in these types of promotions. (To receive a handy PDF of the checklist, contact me at djoerling@thompsoncoburn.com.)

  While this checklist covers many of the key aspects of a sweepstakes, it is no guarantee that the sweepstakes complies ...

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  Tags: Eligibility Sponsor Sweepstakes Odds Entrants Prize

• 5 pitfalls of refer-a-friend sweepstakes options

  July 13, 2012

  When I saw an ad for a new Mexican restaurant that opened near my office, I thought about trying it. When I received a 10% off coupon in the mail, I thought about it again. But when my brother told me it was now his favorite restaurant, I went there for lunch on that very same day.

  Without a doubt, a referral from your current customers is the best source of new customers. The same principle applies to sweepstakes and contests: You can increase participation through use of referrals.

  As a result, “refer-a-friend” options are becoming very popular in the sweepstakes ...

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  Tags: Marketing Sponsor Refer-a-Friend Incentives Internet Twitter Facebook CAN-SPAM Act Regulations Prize

• An exclusive interview with Florida’s top sweepstakes regulator – Part Two

  June 26, 2012

  In yesterday’s post, we met Liz Compton, the chief of the Bureau of Compliance at the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

  Liz kindly agreed to an interview, and told us about her journalism background, her role in Florida’s job creation efforts, and the strangest sweepstakes she’s ever encountered: A promotion for a New York-style colonoscopy.

  Today in our discussion with Liz, we tackle some real sweepstakes issues encountered by companies across the country who register their promotions in Florida. 

  Dale Joerling:  If, for whatever reason, a sponsor does not register a sweepstakes that is ...

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  Tags: Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Sponsor Liz Compton prize drawings Florida Registration Approximate Retail Value

• The IRS wins every sweepstakes

  May 02, 2012

  Aside from the winners, there’s no one more excited about sweepstakes prizes than the IRS. States that collect income taxes get pretty tickled, too.

  Many sweepstakes winners don’t realize they have partners when it comes to accepting their prize. The IRS and state treasurers don’t care who wins the prize because they are guaranteed to receive a share of virtually every prize awarded. (They may, however, root for a winner in the highest tax bracket.)

  Thompson Coburn’s tax gurus can speak to this more specifically, but here are some basic facts about state and federal tax laws that sweepstakes creators ...

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  Tags: Sponsor IRS Tax Sweepstakes Fine Print Income Approximate Retail Value